2009 - The Marscotti Family - The Vineyard Restaurant & Bar
1977 was the debut opening of the Vineyard Restaurant where Italian and American lunches and dinners, USDA Choice Steaks and seafood is served. Their menu reflects their Italian Traditions while being open to modern influences and innovations.
They are located at the junction of Hwy 145 and Hwy 99, a central location that makes the Vineyard a great meeting point for family, friends & business meetings.
Their list of awards is fabulous:
- 2014 Best Kept Secret Award
- Honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award for 2009 Best of the Valley Award from the California Restaurant Association Fresno Chapter.
- Cited as one of the Central Valley's Best restaurants in Wine Spectator Magazine in the December 15, 1998 issue
- Voted Best Restaurant by the 2002 Sierra Gateway Readers' Poll.
- Featured restaurant in ght Ford Times, April, 1989.
- Named in Via AAA Traveler's Companion Magazine as one of the top dining spots in the Central Valley, March-April 2004 edition.
- Received a Diamond Rating from AAA in 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011.
- Madera's Mayor's Office proclaimed March 1, 2010 as a day of celebration in honor of the Mariscotti family for contributions to the community.
- Named in NCSA Golf Magazine as the place to eat when golfing in the Central Valley in the Spring issue of 2008.
- Chris Mariscotti, owner of the Vineyard Restaurant, receives commendation and resolution by the California Legislature Assembly in February 2004 for outstanding service as president of the Board of Directors for the Madera Chamber of Commerce.
2010 - Gary Lanfranco - Cosmopolitan Tavern & Italian Grill
The Cosmopolitan Tavern and Italian Grill is one with a rich past history and is entering a new element with new legacies to be built.
The Cosmopolitan Tavern & Italian Grill, one of downtown's most popular restaurants is moving - to the Selland Arena parking lot, of all places!
The Cosmopolitan first opened in 1933, and is now forced to close or relocate due to the high-speed rail. Gary Lanfranco, third-generation owner, said that he's not leaving downtown, and so groundbreaking has begun in the corner area of the Selland Arena Parking lot.
Fresno is fortunate that this long time, well-loved restaurant is stepping up to the plate and bringing it's fabulous meals to a new beginning downtown.
2011 - Rudy Liebl - The Ripe Tomato
The Ripe Tomato first opened in 1977, one of Fresno's top upscale restaurants closed it's doors on February 15, 2014. The Ripe Tomato was known as a fancy, pricey place where couples went for special dates and was frequented mostly on special occasions. Rudy Liebl, chef and owner has said that on holidays the restaurant was packed, but the rest of the year, not so much. He had decided it was time for a break as fewer people are seeking out fine dining these days.
As he was going to be 75 years old, he figured it was probably time. The Ripe Tomato - a Fresno memory for many of many very special occasions with very special dining.
2012 - George and Kathy Milutinovich - The Lime Lite
The Lime Lite first opened it's doors on Clinton Avenue in 1964. It has occupied several locations over the years and now presents fabulous food at it's current location on Shaw, just west of Palm.
We featured the Lime Lite in one of our previous blogs - 9-19-2015. Please visit that post to learn the interesting background and present day information on this fabulous piece of Fresno's Dining Establishment History!
2013 - Roger Rocka - Roger Rocka's Dinner Theater and Dan Pessano - Good Company Players
The first performance ever presented by Roger Rocka's Dinner Theater was "Gypsy" in June of 1978. Although they had worked long and hard to get ready for this grand opening, the kitchen and bar were still unfinished and they had to cater the food in. Many other parts of the theater was yet unfinished and the staff had to make do as they went along. It is quoted that "It was a mess! It was exciting! It was a smash hit!"
The theater company, Good Company Players, led by Dan Pessano began in 1973 and after 5 years, Dan and Roger joined forces.
There are six musical comedies each year at Roger Rocka's. Chef Eric DeGroot and his staff consistently produce a fabulous menu - whether it be for the served dinner or for the buffet at each show. Sometimes the meals will be a reflection of some part of the shows.
So many in the Fresno area love Roger Rocka's and the Good Company players. Watch their website for upcoming presentations and take an evening to enjoy fabulous local entertainment and delectable dining in the Tower District of Fresno.
2014 - Erna Kubin-Clanin - Erna's Elderberry House
The story of Erna Kubin-Clanin and Erna's Elderberry House is a fabulous story of a woman with a dream and the drive to see it to fruition.
Erna was born in Vienna, Austria and attended the Academy of Fine Arts, majoring in Theatre design. At the age of 20, she was granted an art scholarship to the New York Academy of Art in Manhattan. This is what brought her to the United States. Subsequently, she completed her studies at UCLA.
She opened her first restaurant, Scorpio's, in Westwood, LA. Eight years there of hard work and success, then Erna decided to relocate to the Sierras. There she leased the Redwood Inn which was next to the Wawona Hotel in Yosemite National Park. There she offered five-course dining with a blend of European and nouvelle cuisines. Her lease with the Redwood Inn was not renewable, so in 1983, Erna purchased property right in Oakhurst, CA and built Erna's Elderberry House Restaurant.
The Elderberry House was named for all the elderberry bushes that graced the property where Erna built her fabulous restaurant. Keep in mind that such a rural location is rare for such fine and sophisticated food such as Erna presented.
In 1987 one of the world's most respected critics visited the Elderberry House. Craig Claiborne spent three days there, then wrote his review which you can see here:
http://www.nytimes.com/1987/07/08/garden/erna-s-food-and-a-view-in-the-sierras.html?pagewanted=all
The review put Erna's on the map, and soon, "foodies" from all over the world were traveling to visit Erna's Restaurant. That created another problem. There weren't enough hotels to handle the throng of people flocking to Erna's. Sure, there were some motels and such, or availability at Yosemite, but this wasn't fitting the need. Erna decided to meet that need and to build the Chateau du Sureau. Six years of working through a variety of lenders, backers and builders when eventually a builder, Gary Browns and Erna had plans in place. Finally after many efforts at designing, redesigning, redrawing, etc, as well as many sleepless nights, the first guests were greeted in May of 1991.
As demand increased, Erna enlarged the Chateau to 2000 square feet, and finally in November of 2005, Erna opened the Spa du Sureau.
Such a fabulous history and a fabulous venue for a dinner and stay at a fine hotel - right here - less than an hour from our own homes. It's something that many of us should put on our bucket list. It's definitely on mine!
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